Rosemary plant named `Athens Blue Spires`

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of rosemary plant, Rosmarinus officinalis, named `Athens Blue Spires`, was selected from a commercial rosemary seed package. The origin of the new cultivar is otherwise unknown. The new cultivar is distinguished by the unique combination of the following traits: good cold hardiness, lavender blue flowers, extensive self-branching and an upright habit, small-sized, narrow-shaped foliage, and vigorous growth. The cultivar demonstrates good disease tolerance and is well-suited for ornamental and culinary uses.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises a new and distinct plant cultivar ofRosmarinus officinalis which has been given the name `Athens BlueSpires`. The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are themost pronounced characteristics of this new cultivar when grown inGeorgia, and in combination they distinguish it from existing cultivars:

1. Cold hardiness;

2. Lavender blue flowers;

3. Extensive self-branching and upright habit;

4. small-sized, narrow-shaped foliage; and

5. Rapid, vigorous growth with disease tolerance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1, shows a portion of a typical inflorescence of a mature plant of`Athens Blue Spires`.

FIG. 2, shows the distinctive flowers of `Athens Blue Spires`.

FIG. 3, shows a typical specimen of the entire plant, showingparticularly the growth habit, with extensive self-branching andfoliage.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Background of the Invention

The rosemary plant, Rosmarinus officinalis, is a well-known shrub thatis grown for both ornamental use and as a culinary herb.

Origin of the Invention

The plant of this invention was selected at the University of GeorgiaHorticulture Department trial grounds in Ahtens, Clarke County, Ga.,U.S.A. It was selected from a planting of a commercial package ofrosemary seeds which were germinated arouund 1988. All other seedlingsfrom the package dies as result of cold or wet exposure during thesubsequent winters or as a result of the heat and drought of thesubsequent summers. The surviving selection has been named `Athens BlueSpires`.

Method of Asexual Reproduction

`Athens Blue Spires` was asexually reproduced by the inventor, Dr. AllanArmitage, by rooted cuttings at the Department of Horticulture,University of Georgia, Athens, Ga., U.S.A. This asexual reproductionestablished that succeeding generations retain all characteristics ofthe orginal plant as described herein. Asexual reproduction by rootedcuttings has been repeatedly performed both in Athens and at the Centerfor Applied Nursery Research near Deering, Ga.

Plant Characteristics

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart (herein "R.H.S.") except wheregeneral terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

Generally, `Athens Blue Spires` is an upright woody shrub, with roundstems and acuminate leaves thath are highly aromatic, that typicallygrows to a height of 5-6 feet at maturity in Georgia. It isdistinguished from other known rosemary cultivars by the combination ofits flower color, the narrow structure of its leaves, its coldtolerance, its extensive self-branching, and extremely rapid growthcapabilities. As shown in FIG. 3, the excellent self-branching growthhabit results in a densely-leaved, thick shrub.

Stems: The stems are woody at the base, while the new growth is silverywhite. The mature stem color is in the gray-brown group, R.H.S. 199B.The new growth stem color is in the green group, R.H.S. 147D.

Leaves: The leaves have an alternate arrangement on the stems. They arelinear, with an entire, revolute margin. The upper surface is glandularpunctate, and the lower surface is densely covered with short, whitetrichomes. The average leaf length is 0.75 inch and the average width is1/16 inch (based on an average of five independent measurements). Table1 presents a comparison of the leave size of `Athens Blue Spires` withother rosemary cultivars, namely `Beneton Blue`, (unpatented), `TuscanBlue`, (unpatented), `Arp`, (unpatented), and `Gorizia`, (unpatented).

Color.--The colors of the leaves are as follows: upper leaf surface,R.H.S. 137A; center of lower leaf surface, R.H.S. 147D; margins of lowerleaf, R.H.S. 137A.

Fragrance.--The foliage has the strong aromatic smell typical of thespecies.

Flower:

Inflorescence type.--The flowers are produced in few-floweredverticillasters, arranged in short axillary racemes, which averages 2-4inches in length. The calyx of each flower is 4-lobed, fused,approximately 0.5 cm in length. The corolla is 2-lipped; the upper lipbeing concave, approximately 0.6 cm, and 2-lobed, with each lobelinear-acuminate, and lower lip approximately 0.8 cm, and 3-lobed, withthe bottom lobe ovate (approximately 0.4 cm wide) and the side lobeslinear.

Timing.--Flowers are produced from December through April in Georgia.The longevity of an individual flower ranges between 2 days and oneweek, depending on the temperature.

Color.--The pedicel is in the green group, R.H.S. 138B. The calyx isgreen, R.H.S. 138B. The corolla is lavender (R.H.S. 97C), with theprominent darker blue flecks (R.H.S. 97A), and a band of white (155D) onthe lower lip. Table 1 presents a comparison of the flower color of`Athens Blue Spires` with other rosemary cultivars.

Reproductive organs.--Each flower has two stamens, strongly exserted andapproximately 1 cm long. The pistil is strongly exserted, linear, andapproximately 1.2 cm long. No fruit or seed have been observed on thisplant.

                  TABLE 1                                                         ______________________________________                                        Leaf Size and Flower Color for selected rosemary cultivars                    Cultivar                                                                              Leaf Size       Flower color                                          Name    length × width (in inches)                                                              (per RHS color chart)                                 ______________________________________                                        Athens Blue                                                                           3/4 × 1/16                                                                              97C, flecks of 97A, with                              Spires                  band of 155D on lower lip                             Beneton 1 × 1/4   155D, with prominent specks                           Blue                    of 94A, and marking on lower                                                  lip of 90B                                            Tuscan Blue                                                                           1 × 1/4   all 155D, except for specks of                                                91A on lower lip                                      Arp     11/4 × 1/8                                                                              all 155D, except for specks of                                                91A on lower lip                                      Gorizia 1 × 1/8   97C, flecks of 92A, with                                                      band of 155D on lower lip                             ______________________________________                                    

Other Characteristics

The original and progeny plants have been observed over many growingseasons, and no unusual disease or insect susceptibility has been noted.In Georgia, typical insects include the three spotted spider mite andthe Western flower thrips, while typical disease pathogens are root rotpathogens. No susceptibility of `Athens Blue Spires` to any of theseinsects or pathogens has been observed. `Athens Blue Spires` is anextraordinarily vigorous cultivar, growing approximately 18 inches talland equally wide from a single terminal cutting in a nine month period.Plants placed in outdoor beds doubled in size within the first year,which is more vigorous that any other rosemary cultivar. For example,when grown in pots, `Athens Blue Spires` grew much more vigorously thanrosemary cultivars Beneton Blue, Tuscan Blue, Arp or Gorizia.

`Athens Blue Spires` also has excellent cold tolerance, as measured byobservations of the plant over ten years, during which the temperaturewas as low as 5° F., and yet no damage to the plant was noted.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct Rosmarinus officinalis plant that ischaracterized by a unique combination of upright growth habit, extensiveself-branching, lavender-colored flowers, extremely narrow leaves, andexcellent cold hardiness, as herein illustrated and described.